“I proclaim the end of the world.”

That from Mehmet Ali Agca, also known as the man who shot Pope John Paul II nearly 30 years ago, who was set free by authorities today:

The last potential obstacle to his freedom — call-up for compulsory military service — fell away after a medical examination by army doctors showed that Mr. Agca was unfit to be drafted because of severe antisocial behavior, his lawyer, Gokay Gultekin said in a telephone interview.

“His release is like a rebirth,” Mr. Gultekin had said earlier. “He has a lot to catch up with, like computers, the Internet and other devices that did not exist back in 1980s. But before all that, he needs a vacation.”

Mr. Agca, 52, was freed from Sincan prison in the capital, Ankara, after completing a 10-year term for another offense. He had spent 19 years in Italian jails.

…

In a statement made public outside the prison at Sincan on the outskirts of Ankara on Monday, Mr. Agca declared: “I proclaim the end of the world. All the world will be destroyed in this century. Every human being will die in this century.”

“I am the Christ eternal,” the statement said. “The gospel is full of mistakes. I will write the perfect gospel.”

President Obama, who some also see as Christ eternal, could not be reached for comment.